Many high buildings still deadly fire traps

JAKARTA (JP): Many high-rise buildings in Jakarta still lack such basic fire safety standards as hydrants and exit ladders, a city official announced yesterday.

"They do provide fire safety equipment, but it is below what is required by city regulations," Suchali M.A., of the City's Fire Brigades, said during a fire fighting demonstration conducted at Mulia Tower building on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta.

The city regulation issued in 1992 on fire safety for high- rise buildings stipulates that there must be at least one hydrant, where a hose can be connected, for every 600 square meters of a building's floor surface, Suchali said.

"But there are still tall buildings which provide only one hydrant for the entire building," he said.

Data from the City Fire Department show that Jakarta, which occupies 650 square kilometers and has population of 8.5 million, has only 375 fire hydrants, far below the 12,000 that are theoretically required.

Singapore, with a total area of around 630 square kilometers and a population of 2.5 million, has some 12,000 hydrants.

According to Suchali, the regulation also requires smoke-proof emergency exit stairways.

"All the tall buildings in the city, I think, provide emergency exit stairways, but are they up to standard?" he asked.

"The owners of the buildings should be aware of the standards of fire safety because it is for their own good," he said.

To ensure the safety of a building, ideally there should be fire safety inspections conducted by a certified private or state agency at least three times a year, he said. "But we lack capable personnel to handle such inspections," he said.

Data at the City Fire Department show that fires in the city have decreased slightly in number from 911 in 1991 to 789 in 1993, and 549 in the period from January to September 1994.

The city Fire Department last year singled out short circuits and other electrical problems, such as the use of low-quality cables, as the main cause of fires in the city.

"Sixty percent of fires in the city are caused by short circuits or burning candles or mosquito coils, which are another major cause of fires in the city, especially in the slum areas," said Tatang Sastrawiria, the head of the City Fire Department. (01)